Animals: The Unknown Saints

**WARNING**
**The front story of this book might be too harsh, as the cruel world against animals is harsh, so any younger viewers needs parent approval to read it. Thanks! :3**
This is about animal abuse and animal activists taking a stand! It's hard for me to describe something so it's best if you read it yourself.
I'm very proud of this except for chapter four to be honest, but I hope you enjoy it anyway and share!

Submitted: July 18, 2017

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Submitted: July 18, 2017

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Animals’ Saviors

The Unknown Saints

By: Jessica L. Brown

Dedication

To

The Animal Activists around the Globe,

The Teacher who got me to Write Something I now Love,

And the Mother who helped me Along

Thank You So Much

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Their Abusepg. 1

Chapter Two: Faye Carey- Dogs’ Bestpg. 10

Friend

Chapter Three: Abby Reiman- Saving the pg. 12

Little Ones

Chapter Four: Ella Van Cleave- pg. 14

Tackling an Ocean of Problems

Glossary
pg. 17

Bibliography
pg. 18

Chapter One: Their Abuse

Mud sprayed behind me in clumps as my paws skidded across the soaked and muddy, slippery ground. The big booming sound overhead
from the dark puffy things in the sky made the loud jingle from the ball dangling from my neck - a gift from the twoleg who took care of me – seem silent for only a second, but the chill panic
inside me knew that I had no hope of taking it off as I had tried before and the silence wasn’t long enough for me to escape anyway. Knowing that the twoleg monster chasing me was using the
ball’s now-murderous jingle practically as a siren guiding it to me gave me a new energy to run through the blinding rain…cold, dead, fear. My only hope now was to outrun it, but that flame of hope
was as good as dead. The twoleg might seem sloppy at running compared to my swift paws, as they all do, but it was a well-known fact that its long legs let it stay close behind, even smaller kits
than me were taught that at birth. There’s no way to escape just by running, but I had no choice.

Clank*stop, *Clank*stop, *CLANK*stop, pause. * The noise…I knew that
noise…it had its lethal metal stick with it, all of the twoleg hunters had one. I remembered what it looked like: hard, dark-colored, roundish at the top and got thinner at the bottom. I’ve seen
twolegs use that on other twolegs… the site wasn’t pretty afterwards. At that moment if it was even possible, I ran faster. The noise sounded so close, I knew the monster was catching up with me,
trying to put me in the once-rumored cage of the city where cats disappear. I kept running as my lungs screamed for help, as disparate as I was, and my mind was racing, but I couldn’t think. The
constant persuasion to hide and the fear coursing through my veins only left instinct…the instinct that would be the death of me.

“Here sweet little kitty, kitty. Oh, you little -------. Gah!” I turned a sharp corner, “Where are you!” The voice that once sounded soft and tempting to all the cats I knew, the twoleg that once
fed us in the early mornings of the days now sounded sickeningly infuriated… and slightly disparate in some weird way. It was crying out in pure frustration that frightened the fur off me more than
it already was…it wanted me bad. Out of desperation, I frantically searched for any chance of eluding this beast, feeling my eyes stretch towards the corners of my sockets out of pure
terror. I skidded across the ground to a stop, I had finally found a place to hide in. It was an opening in a dinky twoleg den. Rushing into it, I squeezed in and put myself as far back as I would
go, which wasn’t far with my fur bristling with clumpy, wet fear. I hoped that it would be enough, but this twoleg was smarter than the others, it always was. Thunk, thunk,*stop.
* Through a crack in the wall I saw the tip of one of its round feet, splattered with sticky mud from the chase. It spoke slowly, both of us knowing that I no place to run now, this was it, my
legs were deadweights.

“Tut, tut, tut…you are such a naughty kitty…oh well. I don’t need you alive old friend, money’s money….”
SMACELCH! I was tossed aside by its metal stick, a sharp, blazing pain erupting on the side of my head, it was pain I had never felt before in my life! I felt blood gush
out of my eye, but before it clouded my vision, I saw its eyes. The look blazing in them were almost unreadable. It looked like a mix of triumph, exhaustion, and…. regret.

Terrifyingly, scenarios just like this one happens more often than you think, especially in countries where eating cats are popular. If thieves found a cat wandering the streets, they would jump on
the chance to catch it, collar or not, to make a buck. If the owners hadn’t learned to keep their cats indoors already, they’ll be no less than heartbroken.

Turning to an animal abuse website called animalcrueltyy.weebly.com, it tells us what pet owners all know; “Animals feel
pain and fear like we do, but they are helpless victims. Abuse causes these innocent animals to endure so much pain, suffering, and loneliness, it can also cause an animal to become depressed,
timid, or even aggressive.” What you can do is to learn the signs of animal abuse and even possibly prevent it at your own risk. Be careful in what you get yourself into.

Know the Signs

Malnutrition

Large amounts of hair loss

Unexplained injuries such as open wounds

Choking-tight like collar

Signs of dog fighting

Other cruel-looking abnormalities

Prevent It

Know who to contact when you suspect animal abuse, never second guess it but ask a trusted guardian for it might be serious.

Teach your friends, siblings, or even children how to treat an animal correctly.

Take care of the animals you have.

Possibly find a way to support your local shelter and/or pet abuse organizations.

The Two Categories of Abuse

Because of the massive numbers of animal abuse, the types of typical animal abuse can be narrowed down into two categories: active
and passive. Active cruelty is generally neglect. Unfortunately, though the abuser never physically does something to their animal, this hurts even more. Common examples are
starvation, dehydration, parasite infestation, etc. Neglect and abandonment are the most common forms of companion abuse in the United States. However, passive cruelty is abuse with
malicious intent. People who maliciously abuse animals have been linked to being a sociopath such as the monster in the beginning’s story. Passive cruelty is why you must
speak with an adult before you do anything. Getting hurt won’t help the animal.

“The question is not, ‘Can they reason?’ nor, ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?’

? Jeremy Bentham, The Principles of Morals and Legislation

The Facts of the Aftermath

Shockingly, 71% of domestic violence victims report that their abuser also targeted their animal; adding to the numbers and making
pit bull dogs the most common victims of animal cruelty. Each year, bullfighting causes over 10,000 bull dogs to die, living a short, loveless life of passive cruelty.

Just as the site humansociety.org shows that “The shocking number of animal cruelty cases reported every day is just the
tip of the iceberg; most cases are never reported. Unlike violent crimes against people, cases of animal abuse are not compelled by state or federal agencies, making it difficult to calculate just
how common they are. However, we can use the information that is available to try to understand and prevent cases of animal abuse.”

Chapter Two: Faye Carey- Dog’s Best Friend

As you walk in, the dogs bark and whine either angry…or scared. The thought that most of these dogs must be put downs flips your
stomach. You came for a new friend, but that also means that you’re saving one. Your mind tears in two and your heart burns in sorrow, facing the fact that you can’t afford as many as you want,
walking past the rattling cages, up to the dog you picked. This one might be the only friend saved in time.

A young teen activist, Faye Carey, has felt the same sixteen at the time when she took notice. It was during a simple week of work
experience at Animal Control so long ago in the November of 2012. She tells the story of her life-changing week there, welcoming her to activism, “We picked up a puppy in the pound the first day I
went to Animal Control and then on my last day he was still here and I felt sorry for him. So, I advertised him on TradeMe and he got a lot of interest and went to a lovely home in Auckland.”

Not Uncommon

In fact, her story about the dog still being at the pound for so long is not uncommon. With so many dogs that are picked up are
roaming, abandoned, or even unfortunately surrendered by owners who can’t take care of them anymore, there are too many dogs for sale or adoptions then there are people who even want one. Also, for
many people looking for a dog, they more likely want a puppy, leaving the older dogs to have to be put down. Faye had to find a way to help them all, and she did.

She does it Determined

She uses a Facebook page now called Animal Re-home Waikato to advertise puppies and dogs. The idea came from trying to
re-home a litter of kittens and needed a free way to advertise. Faye still spends every Friday volunteering, grooming the new puppies, and photographing them for the Facebook page. She also,
moreover, spends at least three hours every single night organizing for people to view the animals, setting up adoptions, and replying to emails. Her activism takes a sheer sacrifice of serious
time. She admits, “It can be quite stressful trying to juggle…I’m quite dedicated to the puppies and dogs. It’s rewarding as well, so the makes it worthwhile.”

As a fortunate result, Faye’s already re-homed well over 100 dogs and she would love to have a career at Animal Control and her
peers around her there think that they’re blessed to have her. “This takes a lot of heat off the pound for us trying to get these dogs into homes,” says Animal Control Officer Vaughan Oliver. “The
good thing about it is Faye takes time to present our dogs in the best possible light. Faye helps with giving our dogs that generally miss out in the first instance of getting adopted…a second
chance. She really restores my faith in the community out there. She does a great job helping out.”

Chapter Three: Abby Reiman- Saving the Little Ones

Don’t you “aww” when you see and animal commercial and you just want to pet the little cute thing? Would you “aww” with glee when
you see a mouse struggling, stuck to a glue trap ‘till its death? Abby Reiman, another, and well-known animal teen activist, didn’t “aww” at those pitying sights. She got rid of the ones around
her.

After she learned the truth about glue traps, she immediately investigated to find out if these devices we being used in her
school in Fairfax County, Virginia. The sickening news, they were. Imagining what it would be like as one of those terrified mice, even being thrown away while still struggling for freedom pushed
Abby to speak up. She had to save them.

Joining Forces

Knowing that her alone wouldn’t stop her school from using the glue traps, she needed help. Glue traps are devices, or traps, used
to stick small animals to the trap with black glue when they walk across it, usually unexpected or lured with food. The animals can’t get out, at least on their own, so while struggling, the
animals literally die of exhaustion. What’s even worse than that is how janitors, or other workers, would pick the traps up and throw them away even when the poor animals are still alive and
desperate to get free.

Getting her help at PETA, an animal rights association, they wrote a letter to the superintendent of her school district, citing
the unacceptable cruelty to animals as well as the health risks associated with glue traps. A fortunate surprise came when the news from the letter showed that writing it was all it took to get
these devices banned from all of the schools in the Virginia Fairfax County school district.

Another Challenge

Even after she was rewarded a Hero to Animals Award for her courage, passion, and lifesaving efforts, she’s also reaching out and
asking all the school districts in Virginia to make the same wise choice…and taking on another fluffy challenge.

Turning to another case, she is now trying to rescue cats and kittens from abuse and starvation, trying to find homes for them.
While also volunteering at the local animal shelter at her house, she would love to find a veterinarian in her area who will do low-cost spray-and-neuter surgeries and would also like to find
vaccinations for the lovable kittens she helps save. She says “My life has no purpose if I can’t help animals. I want to spend my whole life helping them and speaking up for them. I must have been
a cat in the past life. I’m just magical with cats.”

Chapter Four: Ella Van Cleave- Tackling an Ocean of Problems

It’s surprising how much the ocean has changed…for the worst. Thought it’s true that people make mistakes and accidentally drop
things, when it comes to the ocean, almost 85% of the time humans won’t be very keen to clean it up. Their pollution ranges from trash and plastic thrown or dumped in the ocean to massive oil
spills from major tank accidents, wreaks, or even attacks like what had happened in Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor dock. News, video, or even seeing it for themselves is how people like Ella Van Cleave ran
headfirst to become an activist to help the ocean and much more.

A Strong Inspiration

Who is now a nineteen to twenty-year-old already had four years of activism under her belt only at the age of sixteen. Inspired by
the beautiful, Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” a film that exposed the brutal dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan at the mere age of twelve, she knew. Since that day, the only career she’s
envisioned for herself is conservation. As she told “the Dodo,” this film “opened the floodgates” for her career. She’s one of the most foremost voice against cetacean captivity
and at least at the time, one of the youngest.

Speaking at TEDx, a non-profit media organization which posts talks online for free distribution, under the slogan "ideas worth
spreading,” at age fourteen, she spoke how “I was introduced to a world where sharks were bludgeoned and murdered for their fins, where seals were beaten and skinned alive for
their pelts, where whales, the gentle giants of our oceans, remain lifeless at our surface, blood surging from their bodies. This world I was introduced to became one that I was unable to escape.
Since then, I’ve been heavily involved in supporting an end to cetacean slaughtering and captive holding for entertainment purposes. From there, you start to become aware that the particular issue
you’re advocating for is just a small piece of the puzzle, and once you get a glimpse of the larger picture you’ve seen enough to know that you can’t just stop there, and that there will be a
lifetime of work in all sorts of different issues ahead of you.”

Tackling World Problems

Her dedication to her cause is surprising, but to her, it’s worth it to help even more with bigger issues. She had traveled from
her previous home in Tennessee, now living in Canada, to the Suan Juan Islands, Washington to speak about many issues like global warming and overpopulation at important conferences to talk to as
many as she can. She noticed something that needs to be pointed out, so she did. Even in the end it all affects her beloved ocean, her second home.

“For starters, these topics are important to me, because they should be important to anyone who would like to see human
civilization continue to progress. Addressing climate change and overpopulation is about more than pleasing the tree huggers, because everyone, regardless of ethnicity, political opinion, or
religion, has something at stake here.”

Close to Heart

Though tackling world problems are something that she believes is extremely important to fight for, the oceans will always be
closest to the heart, “I believe that one of the biggest steps we can take to ensure environment sustainability is to get a firm grip on issues that affect the oceans, namely ocean acidification,
pollution, and over-consumption of aquatic species.” She won’t stop fighting for she knows that the problem was always ready to be solved.

Glossary

Bludgeonn.

A short heavy club, usually of wood, that is thicker or loaded at one end.

tr.v.bludg·eoned, bludg·eon·ing, bludg·eons

1. To hit with a heavy club or similar blunt instrument.

2. To strike with strong force: "The fields were often baked by the sun and bludgeoned by savage thunderstorms" (Linda Hasselstrom).

3. To overcome, often by intimidation or coercion.

Cetaceann.

Any of various marine mammals of the order Cetacea, including the whales, dolphins, and porpoises, having the general shape of a fish with forelimbs modified to form flippers, a tail with
horizontal flukes, and one or two blowholes for breathing.

Maliciousadj.

1. Having the nature of or resulting from malice; deliberately harmful; spiteful: malicious gossip.

Calderwood, Imogen. Loved Pets. 2015. Animal Rights Activists save 1,000 Cats on Their Way to Be

Slaughtered Illegally for Meat in China… with Hundreds Feared to Have Been Snatched from Their Owners Because They Were Wearing Collars. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3184013/Animal-rights-activists-save-1-000-cats-way-slaughtered-illegally-meat-China-hundreds-feared-snatched-owners-wearing-collars.html>.

Jessica L. Brown has always loved animals, growing up around them literally since the day she was born. Sadly, due to her Allergic Asthma and allergies to her beloved
kitties and dogs, when she goes off to live on her own, she may not have pets anymore for those health reasons. She respects animals and especially the activists who protect them. She is living in
Pike Road, Alabama with her seven cats and two dogs…and more that should not be named to avoid getting them taken away.